English · Word Candidate

preventive

/pɹɪˈvɛntɪv/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: preventives

Sense 1

Meaning · English

Preventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to.

Adjective

Examples

...and I sometimes think whether, like the ancient king, it would not be prudent to make an offering to destiny, and throw my set of emeralds into the lake." Emily could not but deprecate the emeralds being destined to any such preventive service;...

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

Carried out to deter military aggression.

Adjective

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

A thing that prevents, hinders, or acts as an obstacle to.

NounRegister: dated

Examples

Dogs should be warmly but airily housed; heartily, but not heatingly, fed — old Indian meal, mixed with oatmeal, suppawn, is the best general food, with a small quantity of salt, which is a preventive against worms […]

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Meaning · English

A thing that slows the development of an illness.

NounRegister: dated

Examples

A good preventive against heart disease is a healthy lifestyle.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “preventive” mean?

Preventing, hindering, or acting as an obstacle to.

Is “preventive” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.